Life Goes On
by Cutthroat Pixie
Summary: N. Italy-centric: Feliciano comforts one of his citizens.


Title: Life Goes On  
Characters/Pairings: Italy, implied Italy/Germany, implied Italy/HRE, OC  
Rating: PG  
Note: Written for hetaliasunshine LJ

* * *

The sky was clear, the sun was high in the sky, shining brightly down on the landscape, and the air was clean and cool. The slightest of breezes blew through Feliciano's hair as he skipped along the route from his house to Ludwig's. Milan was alive with activity as he passed through, full of people and activities and distractions, but Feliciano knew he had to be quick if he wanted to make it to Ludwig's house by dinner time.

It really was a picture perfect day, Feliciano thought, swaying his arms back and forth, the picnic basket he carried going along for the ride.

He had checked the weather report (okay, he called Ludwig and asked him to, but that was basically the same thing), and he knew that the weather was also quite fair where Ludwig was. It was the perfect day for a picnic, regardless of whether or not Ludwig wanted to think he had work to do.

"Ludwig will be so surprised~" Feliciano said happily. "I've got pasta and tomatoes and bread and pasta~. It'll be so nice to have a picnic." He waved at a few people he passed by, smiling when they waved back. "Ve~, so nice, picnicking with Ludwig~."

Humming a tune, Feliciano paused to pet a cute little kitty sitting in the grass of a park. "Ve~, you're so cute~" he cooed, setting the picnic basket down momentarily. "You want to come picnic with me, don't you~?" He stood up again, setting the kitten in the basket, and started on his way once more.

No sooner had he set off when he heard the distinct sounds of sobbing somewhere to his left, and Feliciano turned to find the source.

A young girl, no older than sixteen, was seated on a park bench, head in her hands, crying her eyes out. She didn't appear to notice Feliciano at first, too caught up in her own misery, most likely, but she definitely noticed when he promptly sat next to her and placed the kitten in her lap.

"Whenever I'm sad," Feliciano started, "I like to hug something cuddly, it really helps."

The girl laughed bitterly, giving Feliciano an incredulous look. "Hugging a cat isn't going to help anything," she, sniffling.

"Then hug the kitty while you tell me what's wrong, that will definitely help!" Feliciano replied, cheerful smile never leaving his face, despite the girl's protests.

She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "My boyfriend just rang me, and he says it's over."

"Over...?" Feliciano asked.

"He dumped me." The girl laughed again. "For this other girl... I guess I can see why, she's a lot prettier than me."

Feliciano shook his head and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. "_Sei carina_, don't say that. Any boy would be lucky to have a girl like you."

"You don't even know me." Despite her disbelieving tone, the girl was now petting the kitten, and her tears had stopped completely. "You're just saying that to be nice, don't bother."

"No no, I know you enough, trust me." Being a nation, Feliciano knew all his people, at least on a basic level, and he knew that there was something special about each and every one of them. "Just because one boy decides to go away doesn't mean there won't be others."

She started tearing up again. "But he was the one, I just know it," she sobbed. "I love him so much, and we always had the best time together! He's the only one I've ever loved like this, and I just can't imagine being with anyone else but him... I've never been with _anyone_ else but him." She hugged the cat tighter. "I thought he loved me too... I just don't understand what I did wrong."

Feliciano let out a thoughtful, "Ve~," when the girl paused in her brief rant. "It'll be okay, I promise. My first love didn't turn out so well either." The girl sniffled again, but turned to look at Feliciano , letting him know she was listening. "He went away, and he promised to come back, but... he never did. He was gone for a very long time, and I waited and waited..."

"Where did he go?" the girl asked.

"I don't really know where he ended up," Feliciano continued. "And I was very sad for awhile, but then," Feliciano grinned, remembering the reason he was out roaming through Milan in the first place. "But then somebody else came along, and I know he'll never leave me. He's not always nice and he yells a lot, but he's really sweet sometimes and he lets me sleep in his bed, and he ties my shoes--"

"Sound like quite the catch," the girl cut off, laughing and wiping her tears away.

"But see? It'll be okay," Feliciano told her, tone oozing of confidence. "You just have to cry your tears, and then move on, because it'll get better. It always gets better, I promise."

"But how do you know?"

"I just do." Feliciano pulled the girl into a one-armed hug. "You just have to remember that you were happy once, and you'll be happy again, and nobody can take that away from you."

The girl hugged back, leaning into Feliciano's embrace. "_Grazie_."

"_Prego!_" Feliciano gave her one last squeeze before pulling back. "And you keep that kitty, you can keep one another company." He smiled, and the girl returned it, her face lighting up a great deal more now that she had calmed down.

"I'm Benita, by the way," she said softly. "Really, thank you, I needed that."

"It's nice to meet you then, Benita, I'm Feliciano."

The two stayed on the bench for a few more moments, before Benita noticed the time and said that she needed to be getting home, and Feliciano realised that he was going to be late getting to Ludwig's house.

"You keep smiling," he said, giving Benita a hug goodbye.

"I will," she responded. The two waved goodbye and set off in their own respective directions, Feliciano quickening his pace, and Benita developing a slight skip to her previously downtrodden step.


End file.
